By Zephyria You Reap What You Sow
The evening Hong Ye-seong returned to the mortal realm and roared, a post appeared on the anonymous board of Hunter Net, a sighting of Hong Ye-seong.
Title: [Anonymous] What’s up, did Hong Ye-seong descend?
Why is he here?
Comments (99+)
―Huh? Already?
―Did he descend? I didn’t see an article
―Did he finally make an escape button…
―Ah~ The Artisan Exhibition is in a week, it’s time to descend ㅇㅇ
└Last time he descended the day before… Ye-seong must have put in a lot of effort…
└LOL, true
―Anonymous, where are you now?
└Chicken shop
└??ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└He descended and immediately went to a chicken shop?
└Ah haha Even the 8th-ranked can’t resist chicken haha └Spill the tea
The sudden appearance of Hong Ye-seong turned Hunter Net upside down in a good way. After all, with the Artisan Exhibition just a week away, the hottest potato in the Hunter world was Hong Ye-seong and the equipment he made. While everyone waited for a detailed review, fortunately, the Hunter who started the sighting story quickly reappeared.
Title: [Anonymous] The person who asked below if Hong Ye-seong descended I went to a chicken shop after work and it was super busy.
So I checked if there was a soccer game today, but there wasn’t.
I asked and they said there’s a guy doing unlimited chicken refills.
So I took a peek at who it was.
Hong Ye-seong was sobbing while holding a wing in each hand and eating them..
And he was wearing colorful hiking clothes like kids’ Legos..
I became solemn and turned around
It ain’t easy
I just paid 10,000 won for delivery
Comments (99+)
―ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
―Sobbing < ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
―Why is a rich guy eating wings with both hands instead of legs?
―Maybe he wants to fly… holding wings in both hands └Is he making artificial wings for his next equipment? So he can fly └Wow;; I hope he makes it
└From today, let's just feed Hong Ye-seong wings?
└Ahㅋㅋ I'll send him a thousand wings, wait for it Hong Ye-seong ―Shouldn't Hong Ye-seong give him 10,000 won for the delivery fee?
└Ye-seong, you're rich, please deposit 10,000 won Nonghyup 30247…
The number of Hunters increases every year, and equipment becomes increasingly scarce. It was a natural result of increased demand. Moreover, even after risking their lives to clear 1st-grade Rifts and 1st-grade Dungeons, S-grade equipment was very rare.
In this situation, Hong Ye-seong's value, who could steadily supply S-grade equipment even if it was slow, was bound to skyrocket. Perhaps that's why, during the Artisan Exhibition season, high-ranking Hunters from not only Korea but all over the world flocked to Korea.
'Artisan Exhibition.’
In short, it is an equipment auction event for The Artisan Hong Ye-seong held in Songdo every two years.
At the same time, it was the reason why the government especially cherished Hong Ye-seong even more. Just his existence alone increases national power, and every two years, he even holds his own festival! Tourism promotion! A champion of foreign currency acquisition!
Of course, civil servant Hunters belonging to the Awakened Management Bureau were ground down during this period to maintain city security and guard Hong Ye-seong. Since Awakened ones gathered in one place, they couldn't help but pay attention to security. Therefore, Jung-bin was biting the edge of a paper cup again today, receiving situation reports.
―Team Leader, I've sent the personnel deployment map near the convention center by email.
"Thank you for your hard work. I'll reply after checking. What is Hong Ye-seong's current location?"
―After devouring 11 chickens at a chicken shop, he is moving to a Korean beef restaurant.
“…Is he possessed by a ghost who died because he couldn't eat meat?”
Jung-bin muttered, and a small sigh was heard from beyond the earphone.
As soon as Hong Ye-seong returned to the mortal realm, he became a slaughterer of meat. Did the Bureau of Rift Management only feed Hong Ye-seong temple food while he was confined in Jirisan? No. Did they not feed him meat during his confinement? That's not it either.
They provided meals with a perfect balance of nutrients every meal. Jung-bin grabbed his throbbing head but answered kindly.
"Well… a sighting story has appeared on Hunter Net, so please pay a little more attention to security."
―Understood.
When the Artisan Exhibition season approaches, Songdo moves more actively than ever. Surrounding hotels are fully booked a month before the Artisan Exhibition, and broadcasting stations, reporters, and even fans of Hunters flock there. This side needed to pay a little more attention to the safety of the Eccentric who had become a meat-eating hippo.
Jung-bin opened the email on his tablet and let out another short sigh. Until the day the Artisan Exhibition opened, each day seemed very long.
The ripple effect of the Artisan Exhibition also came to the peaceful Hanover Soup Restaurant. Bae Won-woo, who had lightly emptied two bowls of Hangover Soup, turned on the TV with the remote control while holding a spoon in his mouth. Another Hunter asked him, looking at his back as he busily changed channels.
"What's on TV today?"
"That, WeeQuiz. They're rebroadcasting the one Hong Ye-seong appeared on. I missed the live broadcast."
Eui-jae's hand, which was trimming green onions with perfect skill in the kitchen, stopped. Another Hunter exclaimed.
"Wow, he descended?"
"Didn't you see Hunter Net? Sightings have already appeared at chicken shops and Korean beef restaurants."
"Did he go crazy from only picking herbs in the mountains? He's just going around tearing apart meat."
"But even I would eat chicken first if I came to Seoul after staying at a temple."
"That's right. That's true."
Eui-jae also knew that Hong Ye-seong was in Jirisan. He couldn't not know if he was spying on Hong Ye-seong's Inheart.
He was addicted to Inheart, and on days when he stayed up all night, he would upload sunrise photos of Jirisan at sunrise. It was a photo that seemed to bring good fortune, so even Eui-jae, who had a considerable grudge against Hong Ye-seong, quietly saved only that photo.
'That bastard… descended.'
Eui-jae had a duty to hit that damn guy's head. He quietly put down the knife and came out of the kitchen. Just in time, Bae Won-woo's hand, which was diligently changing channels, stopped. As if the program had already started, a national MC was clapping and welcoming someone.
"Wow~ This time, he was in Jirisan, and he came to visit us as soon as he descended. The only S-grade manufacturer! The pride of Korea, The Artisan Hunter Hong Ye-seong!"
"Haha, hello, hello."
The neatly dressed Hong Ye-seong had plump cheeks and a glossy face. Someone muttered.
"He must have eaten really well after descending."
'I guess so.'
The MC, who was praising Hong Ye-seong and exchanging greetings, asked cautiously.
"You are always famous for making excellent equipment, but do you happen to have made any equipment this time?"
"If I tell you here, the anticipation will drop a bit… I'll show you on the auction day."
"Ah, can't you give us even a small spoiler?"
"Haha, no."
Hong Ye-seong smiled kindly. A Hunter tried to slam the table but hit his knee instead.
"Ha…. I really want to go."
"Even if you want to go… you need a black ticket to enter."
"What's the market price for tickets now?"
"I don't know, they say they're traded for billions of won, but the listings are drying up."
"When will I ever go to an auction?"
The conversation the Hunters were having with gloomy faces pierced his ears. Eui-jae glanced around the store. It seemed like the lunch business was coming to an end, so there wouldn't be any more customers coming.
Eui-jae used a skill to hide his presence and quietly entered his side room. Fortunately, everyone’s minds were sold to the TV, so he was able to come without being noticed.
He lifted the neatly folded blankets. The black tickets that all Hunters longed for were now nestled between the pink floral blankets. Two of them, too. Eui-jae glared at the tickets, which maintained their stiffness and shine even in the blankets, no matter what they were made of.
Nam Woo-jin… gave me a disaster.
Not just any disaster, but a huge disaster.
‘I got caught up in that bastard’s words and received them while I was out of my mind….’
Eui-jae covered his forehead and let out a long sigh. As soon as it was just the two of them, Nam Woo-jin did nothing but rattle on about Lee Sa-young’s past and other meaningless things, and he was helplessly swept away by it.
Eui-jae silently
thumped
the floral pattern with his fist for a moment, feeling angry again. Why did that human suddenly bring up Lee Sa-young’s past to Cha Eui-jae? It makes people nervous.
Eui-jae looked at the tickets worth billions of won. If he added a premium, he could sell them for even more. But he learned a lot from the Mana Stone incident.
‘I shouldn’t be reckless.’
Of course, he seems to have done a lot of things so far as his body went… but no more. He said he would live quietly, but he had already committed too many things. It wasn’t too late now, so he had to live really quietly.
‘Let’s work hard and earn money.’
When he thought about it, that was right. Hunters live by selling Dungeon byproducts. But Cha Eui-jae decided to live as a normal person, not a Hunter! Of course, he had received a Hunter ID… but he had no intention of doing anything with it, so the Hunter ID was just like a driver’s license in the drawer.
After all, even if you get a driver’s license, if you don’t drive, you just get another personal identification certificate with 12 more numbers on it. It’s useless except when you’re verifying your identity.
How could an ordinary person living a quiet and peaceful life sell Dungeon-related items? The recent Tomato Market EZ incident was just a stupid thing he did when he was temporarily blinded by money.
‘Yes, caterpillars have to live by eating pine needles.’
Of course, considering his size, he was closer to a dinosaur, but Eui-jae began to brainwash himself into being a caterpillar. These precious black tickets don’t suit a caterpillar. So he had to think about the right way to dispose of them. He had three options.
First, go to Songdo and participate in the auction.
Second, dispose of the tickets.
Third, just pretend they don’t exist.
First of all, the first one. Go to Songdo and participate in the auction.
The moment he even sets foot near Songdo, he says goodbye to a quiet life. According to the stories of Hunters, it seemed that not only Hong Ye-seong and Jung-bin but also all the top Hunters gathered in Songdo, where the Artisan Exhibition was held. They would all be Hunters who could buy black tickets without hesitation.
‘Am I crazy?’
Of course, the people who gather at the Hanover Soup Restaurant are also unusual, but this is his home ground, so there are countless ways to deal with it. But Songdo is an unknown area. Eui-jae vowed not to even turn his head towards Songdo. The first plan is scrapped.
Second, dispose of the tickets somewhere. This also has problems. There was no suitable way to dispose of them!
Sale and transfer are naturally impossible. Unless he was thinking of being inducted into the Hall of Fame as Mr. So-and-so of Thunder Market, following EZ of Tomato Market, he shouldn’t even dream of it. Then he had to discard them….
In fact, he had already tried to put the tickets on the stove to boil Hangover Soup, but this cursed ticket didn’t burn with ordinary fire, no matter what it was made of.
‘Should I just tear them up?’
Eui-jae’s strength could tear them. But it’s dangerous because he could get caught unless he tears them into very small pieces and turns them into powder. These tickets would have to be disposed of as non-combustible household waste, but there was no way they would become powder.
In the end, the only thing left was the third option. The only way to deceive himself that he didn’t have these tickets. He could just shove these two pieces of paper somewhere and forget about them. Eui-jae pushed the tickets deeper into the blankets and desperately looked away.
‘Stay there until the Artisan Exhibition is over.’
While making such an unfulfilled prayer.
Of course, as always, Eui-jae’s prayers were not very effective.
“…….”
“Have you been to Songdo?”
To see a dark Gas mask handing over a dark ticket late at night.